How to improve my improvisation?

[malcolmwiss]

Hey!
I want to improve my improvisation skills. When I play by myself nowadays it feels so onesided, Like i've played everything im playing. I would appreciate if someone could give me something to bite on.
Malcolm

[ajspiano]

Hey!
I want to improve my improvisation skills. When I play by myself nowadays it feels so onesided, Like i've played everything im playing. I would appreciate if someone could give me something to bite on.
Malcolm

Depending on what you're into stylistically you may like to check out the bit of ramble and video discussion derek and I had about baroque improv.. 

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=48429.0

I feel strongly that this stuff helped general improv aswell even if baroque isnt your thing.

[malcolmwiss]

Appriciate it, Those videos sparked alot of idées.
Thanks.

[matt_walker]

You need a strong knowledge of chords and chord progressions. What I do with my beginner pupils is get them to come up with a simple chord progression in C major, which I then play whilst they improvise the c major scale over it. Or you could take the left hand of a piece you already know and improvise over it using the key signature.

[malcolmwiss]

You need a strong knowledge of chords and chord progressions. What I do with my beginner pupils is get them to come up with a simple chord progression in C major, which I then play whilst they improvise the c major scale over it. Or you could take the left hand of a piece you already know and improvise over it using the key signature.

Thanks for the reply!
What do you teach the more advanced?

[ajspiano]

Thanks for the reply!
What do you teach the more advanced?

What are you able to do?

Can you improvise over a jazz blues using major or minor scale modes (no pentatonics)..  chord progression such as..

C7 ///| F7 ///| C7 ///| C7 ///|

F7 ///| F#dim7 ///| Em7 ///| A7b9 ///|

Dm7 ///| G7 ///| C7 / Eb7 /| Ab7 / Db7#9 :||

..if so, what kind of chord voicings would you use in the LH here?

[Derek]

Induce change to your familiar current vocabulary. Try to break up the rhythm. Most importantly, forget
everything you think you know, or want to know about any music theory and try to feel your music.

This advice is a bit easier if you are willing to partially or wholly deviate from a favorite style. Yet at the same time it
can inform and enrich exploration of existing styles. Hope that helps somehow 

[cjp_piano]

Check out "Pattern Play" from Frederick Harris Music, it's excellent!!!!

Here's book 5, but you can start with book 1 or go all the way up to 6.

https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Pattern-Play-5/19528901

[matt_walker]

Induce change to your familiar current vocabulary. Try to break up the rhythm. Most importantly, forget
everything you think you know, or want to know about any music theory and try to feel your music.

I somewhat disagree with this. Yes, fine if you are doing composition - after all Jazz came about from musicians experimenting and 'feeling the music'. But when you're improvising - making it up as you go along - (especially in public) surely you need a strong chordal framework to use, or you'll end up playing something that sounds 'wrong'. IMO improvising needs an extremely strong basis in music theory. JMO though 

[webacademyofmusic]

Hey there, here's a blog post that may help.  https://webaom.com/jazz_piano
I've started a video blog aiming to help people transition from simple 12 bar blues to playing Jazz.  Good luck and I hope it helps.

[Derek]

I somewhat disagree with this. Yes, fine if you are doing composition - after all Jazz came about from musicians experimenting and 'feeling the music'. But when you're improvising - making it up as you go along - (especially in public) surely you need a strong chordal framework to use, or you'll end up playing something that sounds 'wrong'. IMO improvising needs an extremely strong basis in music theory. JMO though 

It really depends on your goals. If imitation of a style is a goal then studying existing music in
that style makes sense of course. But to achieve some level of originality you must deviate somehow. Nothing
new has any theory associated with it because it is new. My advice had to do with the process of striving
To find your own sounds. Writing about it here is almost futile. But it obviously isn't completely futile or
I would not have met Ted here and spent the last 12 years finding my own sounds.

[dcstudio]

IMO improvising needs an extremely strong basis in music theory.  

no doubt.   might I recommend "The Jazz Language" by Dan Haerle (the Aebersold piano guy)  Great teacher---great book.   It is easily applied to any type of improv... it is a basic vocabulary of terms and concepts that helped me quite a bit.

[cjp_piano]

no doubt.   might I recommend "The Jazz Language" by Dan Haerle (the Aebersold piano guy)  Great teacher---great book.   It is easily applied to any type of improv... it is a basic vocabulary of terms and concepts that helped me quite a bit.

Agreed. I went to the Aebersold camp in Louisville a few years back, and Dan Haerle was there too!

[dcstudio]

Agreed. I went to the Aebersold camp in Louisville a few years back, and Dan Haerle was there too!

I am honored to say I studied with him at UNT ...he really took an interest in helping me when I was there...cause man I just didn't get it   I saw him recently at a junior college jazz festival and I went up and gushed all over him...      My then 11 year old daughter was there  she sat down and played a jazz standard for him then told him she was his "grand-student"--Dan busted a gut laughing... 

that was really cool!   yeah I am a bit partial to Dan Haerle...